Protective device for pocket wallets or the like



G. A. MOLLER July 24, 1962 PROTECTIVE DEVICE FOR POCKET WALLETS OR THELIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 5, 1961 INVENTOR. Afjlal/ei" gaf e G. A.MOLLER July 24, 1962 PROTECTIVE DEVICE FOR POCKET WALLETS OR THE LIKE 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 5, 1961 I fizzy/MIMI" BY United States PatentOfitice 3,045,734 PROTECTIVE DEVICE FOR POCKET WALLETS OR THE LIKEGeorge A. Moller, 3915 Maravic Place, Sarasota, Fla. Filed May 5, 1961,Ser. No. 108,117 3 Claims. (Cl. 150-47) This invention relates toretaining devices for pocket wallets and the like, and more particularlyto a protective device for use with a pocket wallet or similar articleto retain the article in the owners pocket to prevent the same frombeing lost or stolen.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improvedprotective structure for a pocket wallet, or the like, said structureinvolving relatively simple components, being compact in size, and beingadapted to securely protect a wallet or similar article with which it isemployed to retain same in the owners pocket and to prevent it frombeing accidentally lost or stolen.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved walletconstruction including means for retaining a wallet in the ownerspocket, the construction involving inexpensive components, beingarranged so that it does not interfere with the normal use of thewallet, and being relatively simple to operate.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentfrom the following description and claims, and from the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a wallet, unfolded to open position, providedwith an improved retaining means constructed in accordance with thepresent invention.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the elements of the retaining meansemployed in the wallet of FIGURE 1, said elements being shown inseparated position.

j FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical cross sectional viewtaken through the portion of the wallet of FIGURE 1 containing theprotective means, the protective means being shown in retractedposition. FIGURE 4 is a horizontal cross sectional view takensubstantially on the line 44 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a horizontal cross sectional view, similar to FIGURE 4, butshowing the retaining tongue element of the device in extended position.

FIGURE 6 is a transverse vertical cross sectional view takensubstantially on the line 66 of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 7 is a transverse vertical cross sectional view takensubstantially on the line 7-7 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 8 is a vertical cross sectional view taken substantially on theline 88 of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 9 is a plan view of a protective device according to the presentinvention adapted to be employed in conjunction with a wallet or otherarticle to be carried in the users pocket for the purpose of preventingaccidental loss or theft of said article.

FIGURE 10 is a transverse vertical cross sectional view takensubstantially on the line 1010 of FIG- URE 9.

FIGURE 11 is a plan view, partly in cross section, of another form ofprotective device according to the present invention adapted to beemployed in conjunction with a wallet or other article to be retained inthe users pocket against accidental loss or theft.

FIGURE 12 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 1212of FIGURE 11.

3,45,734 Patented July 24, 1962 Referring to the drawings, and moreparticularly to FIGURES 1 to 8, 11 generally designates a walletprovided with an improved protective structure according to the presentinvention. The wallet 11 is of the type comprising a foldable backmember 12 and respective pockets 13 and 14 provided on opposite sides ofthe transverse fold 15 of the back member. A lining member 16 is securedat one longitudinal margin thereof to the longitudinal margin of theback member, for example, by stitching 17, and is also secured at itsend edges to the end marginal portion of the back member, in a mannerwell known in the art. Overlying the pocket 13 are a plurality ofcard-holding sleeves, not shown, and normally covered by a flap 18 whichis secured in place by a foldable tab 19 provided with a metal grippingelement 20 which is formed on its inside face with a male snap fastenercooperating with a female snap fastener on the flap 18, in a well knownmanner.

Secured to the back member 12 adjacent the pocket 14 is a rectangularbody 21 of flexible material, defining a compartment 22 (FIGURE 3) inwhich is disposed a generally rectangular flat rigid housing 23. Asshown in FIGURE 2, the housing 23 comprises a bottom wall 24 and aplate-like top wall 25 formed with a depending transverse end flange 26,the longitudinal edge of the top wall 25 being received in a channel 27formed in one longitudinal margin of the bottom wall 24 and the oppositelongitudinal edge of the plate-like top wall 25 being received inanother longitudinal channel 28 formed by the opposite longitudinalmargin of the bottom wall 24. Slidably engaged in the housing 23 is agenerally rectangular rigid tongue member 30 which projects outwardlythrough a slot 31 formed in the end of the wallet, said slot 31 beingformed in the fold between the main body portion of the back member 12and the fastening flap 32 which is secured to the end of the pocket 14by suitable adhesive, or by any other suitable securing means.

The tongue member 30 is provided at its outer end with a rolledtransverse bead 33 and is formed at its inner end with the beveledtransverse edge 34, the inner transverse marginal portion of the tonguemember 30 being arcuately curved upwardly, as shown at 35 in FIG- URE 2.

Tongue member 30 is formed with a longitudinal slot 36 through whichextends a transverse rivet 37 secured in the top and bottom walls 25 and24 of the housing 23, whereby the tongue member is guided forlongitudinal movement and is retained in the housing, although isextensible therefrom in the manner indicated in FIGURE 5. An abutmentblock 38 is secured to the tongue memher at its inner portion,terminating adjacent the inner end of the slot 36, said abutment memberbeing formed with the outwardly directed head portion 39 and beinginwardly recessed at its outwardly facing edge, as shown at 40. A flatspring 41 is formed with a forward loop 42 which engages around theabutment block 38 in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 4, the loop havinga reversely bent terminal loop 43 which is disposed adjacent therecessed edge 40 and the inner edge of the head element 39, so that theterminal loop 43 extends transversely across the end portion of slot 36,as shown in FIGURE 4. The opposite end of the spring 41 comprises atransversely extending rod-like element 47 which is substan- 3 tiallygreater in width than the loops of the spring 41, said rod-like element47 being engageable with the longitudinal wall 48 of the flat housing23, as shown in FIG- URE 5, to space the main body portion of the springaway from said longitudinal wall, for a purpose presently to beexplained.

As will be readily apparent, the flat spring 41 biases the tongue member30 outwardly, since it bears between the end flange 26 and the abutmentblock 38, as shown in FIGURE 5. The edge 34 of the tongue member 30 isbeveled, as previously described, in order to provide clearance for theflat spring 41.

Designated at 50 is a detent lever which is pivoted at 51 to the flange28, the lever having an inwardly projecting detent leg 52 which extendsinwardly through a slot 53 in the wall 48 and which is formed with adetent notch 55 lockingly engageable with the square outer corner 56 ofthe head portion 39 of block 38. The lever 50 is further formed with theoutwardly projecting trigger arm 57 which extends outwardly through anopening 58 provided in the side marginal portion of the flexible coverelement 21, whereby the trigger arm 57 can be manually operated torotate the lever 50 when it is desired to release the tongue element 30.

As shown in FIGURE 4, the tongue element 30 may be pushed inwardly sothat the locking corner 56 is lockingly engaged in the detent notch 55,which holds the tongue element retracted against the compression of theflat spring 41.

A leaf spring 60 is secured at one end to a bracket 6'1, which is inturn secured at 62 to the flange 28, the leaf spring 60 engaging a lug63 on the detent arm 52 to bias the lever 50 in a clockwise direction,as viewed in FIG- URES 4 and 5, namely, to bias the arm 52 towardslocking position. The forward edge of arm 52 is arcuately curved, asshown at 64, so that it is cammingly engageable with the arcuatelycurved inner corner 65 of head element 39, so that when the tonguemember 30 is manually retracted, the head element 39 slips past thedetent arm 52 sufiiciently to allow notch 55 to lockingly engage withthe corner 56 when the tongue element is retracted to its innermostposition. The lever 50 is freely pivoted on the rivet 51 against thebiasing force exerted by the leaf spring 60, so that the lever 50 may berotated to its dotted view position, shown in FIGURE 5, when the tongueelement 30 is pushed inwardly, but finally returns to its normal fullline position, shown in said figure to lock the tongue element in itsretracted position. As will be apparent from FIGURES 4 and 5, the endloop 43 cooperates with the rivet 37 to provide a buffer action when thetongue member 30 is released, cushioning the outward movement of thetongue member at its outermost position, namely, in an extended positionthereof such that the rivet 37 engages the cushioning loop 43.

In using the device, the arm 57 is manually rotated with the wallet inthe users pocket, so that the tongue element 30 is released and extendsoutwardly by the action of the flat spring 41, so that the tongueelement firmly engages the inner lining of the users pocket and acts tojamb the wallet in the pocket so that it cannot be accidentally lost orstolen. To release the wallet, it is merely necessary to push the tongueelement 30 inwardly sufficiently to lock same in its retracted position,namely, with the corner 56 lockingly engaging the notch 55, as abovedescribed, whereby the wallet may be easily taken out of the userspocket.

FIGURE 9 illustrates a form of the invention comprising an attachment 70which may be used in conjunction with any article to be protectedagainst accidental loss or theft. Thus, the device 70 comprises asuitable envelope or container 71 of flexible material in which ismounted an assembly similar to that described above and illustrated inFIGURES l to 8, namely, the assembly contained within the receptacledefined between the body 21 of flexible material and the back element 12of the wallet. The receptacle 70 thus receives the housing 23 and thecontents thereof, with the tongue element 30 projecting from one endthereof and the operating arm 57 of the locking lever 50 projectingoutwardly from the side edge of the receptacle through an openingprovided therein, as shown at 72. A band of elastic material 73 issecured at its ends to the opposite side margins of the receptacle 71,as shown at 74, 74, and the article to be protected is engaged betweenthe elastic band 73 and the adjacent wall of the receptacle 71.

FIGURES 11 and 12 illustrate a further modification wherein the elasticband, shown at 77, is secured longitudinally to the receptacle 70instead of transversely, as in FIGURE 9, the structure otherwise beingsimilar to that shown in FIGURE 9. Thus, the elastic band 77 in FIGURESl1 and 12 is secured at its opposite ends 78 and 79 to the oppositetransverse end marginal portions of the receptacle 70, defining a meansfor receiving an article to be protected between the elastic band 77 andthe receptacle 70.

While certain specific embodiments of an improved protective device forwallets and similar objects have been disclosed in the foregoingdescription, it will be understood that various modifications within thespirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art.Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the inventionexcept as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a wallet of the type comprising a transversely foldable backmember and respective pockets on opposite sides of the transverse foldof the back member, retaining means comprising a supporting membermounted on the back member inwardly adjacent one of said pockets, aplate-like rigid tongue member slidably connected to said supportingmember, said back member having a transverse end fold adjacent the endof said supporting member, said transverse end fold being formed with aslot arranged to allow said tongue member to pass therethrough, springmeans acting between said tongue member and said supporting member andbiasing said tongue member outwardly through said slot, and pivotedlatch means on a margin of said supporting member and being engageablewith a portion of the tongue member to hold the tongue member retracted,said latch means projecting from a side edge of the wallet, whereby itmay be manually rotated at times to release the tongue member.

2. In a wallet of the type comprising a transversely foldable backmember and respective pockets on opposite sides of the transverse foldof the back member, retaining means comprising a relatively flat rigidsleeve-like supporting housing mounted on the back member inwardlyadjacent one of said pockets, a plate-like rigid tongue member slidablydisposed in said housing, said back member having a transverse end foldadjacent the end of said housing, said transverse end' fold being formedwith a slot arranged to allow said tongue member to pass therethrough,spring means acting between said tongue member and said supportinghousing and biasing said tongue member outwardly through said slot, andpivoted latch means on a margin of said supporting housing and beingengageable with a portion of the tongue member to hold the tongue memberretracted, said latch means projecting from a side edge of the wallet,whereby it may be manually rotated at times to release the tonguemember.

3. In a wallet of the type comprising a transversely foldable backmember and respective pockets on opposite sides of the transverse foldof the back member, retaining means comprising a relatively flat rigidsleevelike supporting housing mounted on the back member inwardlyadjacent one of said pockets, a plate-like rigid tongue member slidablydisposed in said housing, said back member having a transverse endfold'adjacent the end of said supporting housing, said transverse endfold being formed with a slot arranged to allow said tongue member topass therethrough, said tongue member being formed with a longitudinalslot, a pin element secured in said housing and extending through saidlongitudinal slot, spring means acting between said tongue member andsaid supporting housing and biasing said tongue member outwardly throughsaid first-named slot, said spring means having a resilient end portionyieldably engageable with said pin element to cushion extensile movementof said tongue member, and pivoted latch means on a margin of saidsupporting housing and being engageable 6 with a portion of the tonguemember to hold the tongue member retracted, said latch means projectingfrom a side edge of the wallet, whereby it may be manually rotated attimes to release the tongue member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

